Frequently Asked Compost Questions
Answers for composting with Bioverter
Bioverter has many features that make it stand out:
- It self-aerates, eliminating the need to mix or turn wastes by hand
- It provides a controlled environment for fast and consistent composting
- It captures every recycled element to get the most out of your waste
- It gathers fresh compost and juice in separate collectors for easy removal
Simply lift Bioverter’s lid to add waste and slide out the basket to harvest freshly made compost. In contrast, traditional systems require you to mix by hand and to guess when the wastes have fully broken down. Compost removal is also difficult, needing manual digging or extraction through a hatch.
While traditional systems suits garden waste, you can only add limited amounts and types of kitchen scraps. By contrast, Bioverter is well suited to regular additions of everyday kitchen waste.
Bioverter’s design sets it apart, as it was developed to solve the problems of traditional compost systems such as compost bins, tumblers and worm farms.
These basic methods of composting require a lot of work to achieve good results. Known challenges include frequent manual mixing, dryness, sogginess, rats and other pests, and uncertainty about when is best to harvest. The traditional way to compost is more difficult than it needs to be.
Bioverter makes the process of turning waste into high quality compost a simple, hassle-free experience.
Bioverter is scientifically designed to make composting a simple home activity, enabling you to return ample richness in kitchen waste to your soil while reducing landfill emission.
It is a Feed-&-Collect innovation which transforms waste into ready-to-collect compost. Simply feed Bioverter your everyday kitchen scraps, and your rewards will gather in base collectors for easy retrieval.
Ideally, position the compact outdoor unit within reach from your kitchen and divert more scraps from rubbish bin and landfill.
Bioverter has been used for years, successfully recycling kitchen wastes generated by households of between 1 and 4 occupants.
During long-term trials an 8L kitchen caddy was emptied into Bioverter two to three times every week without overfilling it.
It takes time, typically two to three months, to set up Bioverter properly before it starts to make compost routinely.
During this startup period, compost microbes grow in numbers and variety as materials pile up with regular feeding. Once these natural micro-organisms are in place, they work together to convert your waste in an orderly sequence into compost.
The startup period ends after the earliest waste inputs have transformed into harvestable compost.
However, about a fortnight after startup and well before your first compost harvest, you can begin to collect compost juice - a new and highly rewarding output from Bioverter.
Compost juice is a remarkable product that Bioverter creates uniquely from kitchen scraps with high water content such as fruits and vegetables. It can’t be created with traditional compost systems.
A lot of water is released during the conversion of kitchen scraps into compost. As the water descends through Bioverter, it is enriched with goodness such as soil probiotics, soluble nutrients and humus substances. It ends up as dark compost juice in the bottom collection tray.
It is simple to harvest and use compost juice straight away. Pull out the collector, pour the juice into a watering can, add water to dilute it, and then apply the diluted compost juice to your garden soil or houseplants.
Compost juice allows you to spread compost goodness easily and further - a bonus Bioverter benefit.
A typical household of 4 can feed Bioverter daily, or two or more times a week with a kitchen caddy. Feeding with this frequency results in harvests of compost juice weekly and fresh compost monthly. Your outputs will vary with how much and how often your Bioverter is fed.
A full juice tray will fill a third of a 9L watering can, and a full compost basket will half fill a 200mm plant pot.
Pull out the bottom tray to see the compost juice level, and jiggle the compost collection basket to gauge the amount in it. (A lightly filled basket is easy to move.)
Homemade compost and juice are abundant with living micro-organisms that act as soil probiotics. Soil is healthy if rich in these beneficial microbes, which break down organic material in the soil for plants and suppress disease. Healthy soil is the foundation of healthy plants.
Microbial life is diminished in bought compost due to the delay between manufacture and being used.
In addition, the nutritional quality of bought compost will vary depending on the type of raw material used in commercial manufacturing. Using Bioverter to recycle your kitchen waste ensures all nutrients are recovered as compost juice and homemade compost.
Bioverter’s innovative design speeds up the first stage of composting, breaking down waste into dark organic matter. What it produces is fresh compost.
Fresh compost has limited applications in the garden because it wants to mature, evolving to its final stable form.
Mature compost looks and feels like dark crumbly soil. Earthy in smell, it is ready to be blended with soil or potting mix. The result is a nourished and improved blend for growing healthy plants.
Bioverter makes it easy to make and harvest fresh compost. You can mature fresh compost simply by resting your harvest, and we have some suggestions on how to get the most out of it.
It is tempting to harvest and use freshly made compost immediately, but be mindful of the potential negative effect on plants.
Fresh compost is in its immature state. If buried, it can pull nitrogen and oxygen away from plants. Therefore, if you’d like to use compost in a raw state, keep it away from roots to avoid inhibiting plant growth.
We recommend, if possible, to go for the safe and better option. Leave fresh compost to rest in a sheltered spot, allowing it to mature into its crumbly soil-like form. You end up with the best organic soil improver for whatever soil you have.
Worm farms typically use red and tiger wrigglers which require constant moist conditions and mild temperatures. These specific breeds aren’t helpful in Bioverter and won’t survive the high temperatures that speed up the transformation of wastes into compost.
The most helpful type of worms reside in garden soil. Free-range earthworms naturally improve the soil as they burrow deep in your garden, and also produce nutritious worm casts to feed your plants.
This is where you can use Bioverter’s fresh compost to keep soil healthy. The fresh compost is an excellent earthworm feed, and compost-fed earthworms take care of garden soil through their natural underground activities.
Bioverter is compact in size and handy for households with limited space, while producing enough output for keen gardeners.
The unit is 90cm tall with a square 38cm x 38cm base - almost as tall as a small wheelie bin, but with a smaller base.
Styled by an accomplished industrial designer, Bioverter can be placed in any outdoor location for easy reuse of kitchen scraps. It should fit nicely near the exit from the kitchen or in a tight space like a balcony or confined patio.
Bioverter is made out of a food safe plastic, polypropylene. The base uses the same type found in ice cream and yoghurt containers. A foam variant is used to insulate its upper portion.
Polypropylene is also durable and recyclable. We support recycling and use 1kg of recycled material in each Bioverter. The whole unit is UV protected for outdoor use.